Sectarian clashes intensify in Lebanon's Tripoli

Wednesday, December 05, 2012 - 01:09

Dec. 5 - Sunnis and Alawites clash for a second day in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli. Travis Brecher reports.

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Firefights on the streets of the Lebanese port city of Tripoli.
At least four people are dead and dozens are wounded, as fighting that's spilled over from Syria's civil war goes into a second day.
The army has sent in reinforcements to try to stop militants using machine guns and rocket propelled grenades along Syria Street, one of the city's main thoroughfares.
Tension had been building since the deaths of at least 14 Lebanese and Palestinian gunmen from northern Lebanon in a Syrian town close to the border.
They appeared to have joined insurgents waging a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian uprising is largely being waged by Sunni Muslims, opposed by minorities like Assad's own Alawite sect.
Tripoli is a majority Sunni city, but is also home to a considerable Alawite population.
The sectarian division has made it a flashpoint within Lebanon, and Syria-related violence has flared up a number of times over the past year.

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